Gender Identity Charter Amendment

The group "Citizens for Good Public Policy" got enough signatures on a petition to allow voters to decide whether to keep the ordinance.

Cain Davis, the group's chairman, says the language presented in November was fine.

"The city attorney, they're own attorney brought forth what was legally acceptable language for this petition," says Davis. "And in the City Commission's last meeting they were trying to make it more of an advertisement against the ordinance as opposed to saying what the ordinance is about."

City Commissioner Craig Lowe, who supported the Gender Identity Ordinance, says the the ballot language proposed in November was unacceptable because it didn't express the full impact of the proposal.

"In terms of removing anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and other classifications as well," says Lowe.

The Supervisor of Elections Office can't print out ballots until the wording is finalized.

"Well once the city finishes it's review on the ballot language what they'll do is they'll give us the final version that they want to have appear on the ballot and we'll go ahead and program the ballot to include that," says Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter.

Davis says the ballot language must reflect the original petition.

"We will act on behalf of the citizens to and exercise our legal rights to bring this issue in any court if that's where we end up being."

Lowe says the final language should be one that best informs the public.

"That the people deserve to know what the impacts are."

The Supervisor of Elections Office needs to receive the ballot language my mid-January for it to appear on the March 24th ballot.